Design and Development of an Innovative E-Bike☆

Abstract A new model of power-assisted bicycle has been designed, set up and tested. The main innovative solutions for the pedelec prototype are described in the present paper: the electric motor position; the new mechanical transmission; the low cost measurement system of the driving torque; the special test rig. Differently from a common approach, in which the electric motor is located on one of the three hubs of the bicycle, the idea of the pedelec prototype consists of an electrical motor in the central position that, by means of a bevel gear, transmits the torque on the central hub. The other innovative solution is represented by the motion transmission from the motor to the pedal shaft, achieved by two different gearboxes: the first one is a planetary gearbox and the second one is a simple bevel gear. The pedelec prototype contains also a new low cost measurement system of the driving torque based on a strain gauge load cell located on one side of the rear wheel, between the hub and the frame. Moreover, a commercial cycling simulator has been suitably modified in order to properly install the different sensors for the measurement of the performance of the pedelec. The test rig is able to reproduce an aforethought route or paths acquired during road tests, to measure the performance of the e-bike in terms of instantaneous power and speed. The experimental test rig can simulate the resistant torque of a predetermined track and it aims to test and to optimize the control strategy available on the electronic control unit. The authors have also conducted an environmental analysis of the developed pedelec, in particular comparing the e-bike with a thermal moped, in terms of environmental impact

Short-latency afferent inhibition and somato-sensory evoked potentials during the migraine cycle: surrogate markers of a cycling cholinergic thalamo-cortical drive?

BACKGROUND: Short-latency afferent inhibition (SAI) consists of motor cortex inhibition induced by sensory afferents and depends on the excitatory effect of cholinergic thalamocortical projections on inhibitory GABAergic cortical networks. Given the electrophysiological evidence for thalamo-cortical dysrhythmia in migraine, we studied SAI in migraineurs during and between attacks and searched for correlations with somatosensory habituation, thalamocortical activation, and clinical features. METHODS: SAI was obtained by conditioning the transcranial magnetic stimulation-induced motor evoked potential (MEP) with an electric stimulus on the median nerve at the wrist with random stimulus intervals corresponding to the latency of individual somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) N20 plus 2, 4, 6, or 8\u2009ms. We recruited 30 migraine without aura patients, 16 between (MO), 14 during an attack (MI), and 16 healthy volunteers (HV). We calculated the slope of the linear regression between the unconditioned MEP amplitude and the 4-conditioned MEPs as a measure of SAI. We also measured SSEP amplitude habituation, and high-frequency oscillations (HFO) as an index of thalamo-cortical activation. RESULTS: Compared to HV, SAI, SSEP habituation and early SSEP HFOs were significantly reduced in MO patients between attacks, but enhanced during an attack. There was a positive correlation between degree of SAI and amplitude of early HFOs in HV, but not in MO or MI. CONCLUSIONS: The migraine cycle-dependent variations of SAI and SSEP HFOs are further evidence that facilitatory thalamocortical activation (of GABAergic networks in the motor cortex for SAI), likely to be cholinergic, is reduced in migraine between attacks, but increased ictally

Results on MOVPE SiGeSn deposition for the monolithic integration of III-V and IV elements in multi-junction solar cells

Abstract In order to produce a step forward towards the monolithic integration of III-V and IV compounds in multijunction solar cells, a first assessment of SiGeSn deposition in a metal organic vapour phase epitaxy (MOVPE) chamber also used for III-V growth has been carried out. The study brings insights on several aspects of the MOVPE SiGeSn growth in order to get a better control of SiGeSn composition and to obtain epitaxial layers with improved morphology. In particular, it is shown that the gas source Si2H6 is more influenced by the growth temperature compared to GeH4 and SnCl4, moreover, its competition with SnCl4 makes it difficult to incorporate Si in SiGeSn, as SnCl4 partial pressure is increased. SiGeSn morphology is shown to be strongly dependent on temperature, As carry-over and growth rate. A new growth model is introduced in order to explain the importance of the adatom bond lengths in inhibiting tin segregation when SiGeSn is grown at relatively high growth temperatures (>480 °C). In order to investigate the photovoltaic behaviour of SiGeSn, a single-junction GaAs/InGaP/SiGeSn/Ge functional device has been manufactured and characterized by external quantum efficiency (EQE) and current-voltage measurements. The experimental and the simulated EQE show the higher absorption coefficient of SiGeSn with respect to Ge, which allows using SiGeSn layers with a thickness three times lower than Ge to produce the same photovoltaic current

Investigating the Effects of COVID-19 Quarantine in Migraine: An Observational Cross-Sectional Study From the Italian National Headache Registry (RICe)

Background: Previous studies during SARS and Ebola pandemics have shown that quarantine is associated with several negative psychological effects, such as post-traumatic stress symptoms, confusion, and anger. These conditions may affect the course of many diseases, including migraine. Although it is possible that the quarantine measures for the current COVID-19 pandemic affect migraine burden, no information is currently available on this issue. Aim: In this study, we aimed to: (1) explore the possible changes in migraine frequency, severity, and days with acute medication intake during quarantine period; (2) evaluate possible differences in migraine outcomes in consideration of lifestyle changes, emotions, pandemic diffusion, and COVID-19 infection. Methods: We interviewed patients who were included in the observational Italian Headache Registry (Registro Italiano Cefalee, RICE), retrospectively collecting information on main headache features, lifestyle factors, emotions, individual infection status, and perception of COVID-19 for 2 months before (pre-quarantine) and after the beginning of the quarantine (quarantine). Inclusion criteria were: age > 18, diagnosis of migraine without aura, migraine with aura and chronic migraine, last in-person visit more than 3 months preceding the beginning of quarantine. Results: A total of 433 migraine subjects agreed to be interviewed. We found an overall reduction in headache frequency (9.42 ± 0.43 days with headache vs. 8.28 ± 0.41) and intensity (6.57 ± 0.19 vs. 6.59 ± 0.21) during the quarantine, compared to pre-quarantine. There was a correlation between improvement and number of days of stay-at-home. When results were stratified for geographic area, we found a tendency toward worsening of headache frequency in northern Italy. Disgust regarding viral infection corresponded to a minor improvement in migraine. Conclusions: Migraine patients showed a mild improvement of migraine features, probably attributable to resilient behavior toward pandemic distress. Disgust regarding the contagion whereas potentially favoring defensive behavior, could potentially worsen migraine. The spontaneous limitation of migraine burden during quarantine could favor patient follow-up via the use of telemedicine visits, reliable diaries, and frequent remote contacts

Investigating the effects of COVID-19 quarantine in migraine. An observational cross-sectional study from the Italian National Headache Registry (RICe)

Background: Previous studies during SARS and Ebola pandemics have shown that quarantine is associated with several negative psychological effects, such as post-traumatic stress symptoms, confusion, and anger. These conditions may affect the course of many diseases, including migraine. Although it is possible that the quarantine measures for the current COVID-19 pandemic affect migraine burden, no information is currently available on this issue. Aim: In this study, we aimed to: (1) explore the possible changes in migraine frequency, severity, and days with acute medication intake during quarantine period; (2) evaluate possible differences in migraine outcomes in consideration of lifestyle changes, emotions, pandemic diffusion, and COVID-19 infection. Methods: We interviewed patients who were included in the observational Italian Headache Registry (Registro Italiano Cefalee, RICE), retrospectively collecting information on main headache features, lifestyle factors, emotions, individual infection status, and perception of COVID-19 for 2 months before (pre-quarantine) and after the beginning of the quarantine (quarantine). Inclusion criteria were: age > 18, diagnosis of migraine without aura, migraine with aura and chronic migraine, last in-person visit more than 3 months preceding the beginning of quarantine. Results: A total of 433 migraine subjects agreed to be interviewed. We found an overall reduction in headache frequency (9.42 ± 0.43 days with headache vs. 8.28 ± 0.41) and intensity (6.57 ± 0.19 vs. 6.59 ± 0.21) during the quarantine, compared to pre-quarantine. There was a correlation between improvement and number of days of stay-at-home. When results were stratified for geographic area, we found a tendency toward worsening of headache frequency in northern Italy. Disgust regarding viral infection corresponded to a minor improvement in migraine. Conclusions: Migraine patients showed a mild improvement of migraine features, probably attributable to resilient behavior toward pandemic distress. Disgust regarding the contagion whereas potentially favoring defensive behavior, could potentially worsen migraine. The spontaneous limitation of migraine burden during quarantine could favor patient follow-up via the use of telemedicine visits, reliable diaries, and frequent remote contacts

Crime, media and the will-to-representation: Reconsidering relationships in the new media age

This paper considers the ways in which the rise of new media might challenge commonplace criminological assumptions about the crime–media interface. Established debates around crime and media have long been based upon a fairly clear demarcation between production and consumption, between object and audience – the media generates and transmits representations of crime, and audiences engage with them. However, one of the most noticeable changes occurring in the wake of the development of new media is the proliferation of self-organised production by ‘ordinary people’ – everything ranging from self-authored web pages and ‘blogs’, to self-produced video created using hand-held camcorders, camera-phones and ‘webcams’. Today we see the spectacle of people them, send them and upload them to the Internet. This kind of ‘will to representation’ may be seen in itself as a new kind of causal inducement to law- and rule-breaking behaviour. It may be that, in the new media age, the terms of criminological questioning need to be sometimes reversed: instead of asking whether ‘media’ instigates crime or fear of crime, we must ask how the very possibility of bound up with the genesis of criminal behaviour.performing acts of crime and deviance in order to recordmediating oneself to an audience through self-representation might be bound up with the genesis of criminal behaviour

Simplified equipment for unsaturated soil hydrostatic compression tests

In this paper, soil mechanical property variations in moisture and granulometry have been investigated. Investigations were performed to compare hydrostatic compression test (HCT) responses and evaluate the compression index, Cc, which is an indicator of the soil's susceptibility to compaction- induced damage. The experiments were performed on 24 soil samples typologies. Each sample was obtained by combining three types of soil (types A, B and C) with a relative content varying from 0 to 100% in 20% increments. Soil type A had a granulometry ranging between 0.5 and 1 mm, type B between 0.25 and 0.5 mm, and type C less than 0.25 mm. These samples were representative of a sandy soil, chemically inactive, and had various granulometries and initial moisture contents. A cell for HCT was set up to allow the initial volume measurement of the test pieces and the subsequent changes during HCT with an estimated error less than 0.1 cm3. All samples were pre-compacted and prepared in agreement with the actual standards. The experimental data are reported in diagrams; the data allowed comparison of the mechanical behaviours between the considered unsaturated soils and underlined how soil moisture and granulometry affect soil response during HCT. Furthermore, because of the methodology used, the equipment was very economical

Study of a Soil thermo-sterilizer Machine

It has been designed and realized a machine for the soil sterilization by mean the soil, that happens in a rotating furnace with a direct flame, and in which the soil is shattered and broken up. Insofar every single particle of the considered soil comes to contact with direct flame, and in this way ,therefore, it is possible to obtain that the whole mass of the soil reach the same temperature required of 353 K- 358 K. The system considered allows to perform the soil sterilization in the following way: on a soil line (where the transplantation of the seedlings is performed), as required by agronomic specifications; on a volume of well determined soil (from the width and depth of the cutting tools), therefore the precision and the accuracy of the considered operation are guaranteed; without accumulations of toxic residues in the treated soil ; without asking for hard-working manual operations, neither specialized work-man for the management of the vapor generators; with energetic consumptions lower of the other systems in force

Analysis of a plant for the cryo-maceration of the grapes

A plant for the grapes cryo-maceration that uses the direct injection of CO2 has been studied. Such types of plants allow to obtain wines of high quality, however sometimes because of a bad use of them, it is possible that can rise serious drawbacks. Therefore such search is aimed to study the most critical part of such plant, that is the zone where the injection of the CO2 happens, that is situated in proximity of a divergent tube. After having determined the geometric characteristics of the materials and the thermodynamic characteristics of the fluids (CO2 and mashed grape) a numerical simulation of the thermodynamic exchange between the two considered fluids has been performed, and they have been examined some characteristic conditions obtaining helpful data results to be used for the optimization of the use of the considered plant